It wasn't pretty, but the Toronto Raptors advanced to 14-4 on the season with a 90-83 win over the Orlando Magic.
Toronto struggled on the offensive end, shooting 36.9% from the field on the night but held Orlando to 34.6% shooting and just 36 points in the second half.
Norman Powell paced the Raptors' sputtering offence with a career-high 33 points while Fred VanVleet scored 22 points on the night. Pascal Siakam finished with a season-low 10 points on 4-for-22 (18.2%) shooting from the field.
Still, like good teams, Toronto dug deep and locked in on the defensive end to earn their sixth straight win.
For more on how it went down, here are some takeaways from the game…
A career night for Norman
On a night in which not much was clicking, Norman Powell was the driving force for the Raptors.
Sporting a new haircut, the Raptors fifth-year guard exploded for 33 points on 12-for-18 (66.7%) shooting including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Not only was Powell's point total a game-high, but his 33 points also surpass his previous career-high of 30 points, set in the final game of his rookie season.
Powell's best work came in the third quarter, where he went 7-for-9 from the field and exploded for 19 points, outscoring the entire Magic team…more on that quarter here soon.
He would go on to close the game with another seven points in the final frame to put forth one of the more impressive games of his career, especially given how well Orlando's defence had kept the team in check all game.
Head coach Nick Nurse has preached that the team could use more consistency from Powell and that it begins with his stringing together good games for improved consistency. This big performance comes after he scored just seven points (on 2-for-8 shooting) in a blowout win over the Knicks.
Now, as a return to the second unit appears to be imminent, it is paramount for Powell to use this as a building block to be a consistent force regardless of the role.
Third Quarter makes the difference
The Raptors entered the halftime break down seven points. They took a seven-point lead into the final frame.
Without question, the third quarter was the turning point in this game as the Raptors put forth an absolutely dominant performance on the defensive end while riding Powell's hot hand offensively.
In the third quarter alone, Toronto outscored Orlando 26-12 while limiting the Magic to 4-for-22 (18.2%) shooting from the field. As mentioned before, Norman Powell outscored the Magic 19-12 and anchored the offence at a time in which it was searching for answers.
After taking all the momentum in the third quarter, the Raptors never really looked back as they led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter and never trailed, despite a few rallying efforts from the Magic.
Toronto's championship DNA was on full display during the third quarter as it found a way to win ugly.
Siakam Struggles
While Norman Powell was enjoying the night of his career, Pascal Siakam had one of his rougher games in recent memory.
The struggles came early and often for last year's Most Improved Player as he sputtered out of the gate to score just seven points (on 3-for-11 shooting) in the first half, and they continued in the second.
Siakam would score just three points in the second half (on 1-for-11 shooting) to finish the game with a season-low 10 points while shooting just 4-for-22 from the field.
Credit goes to the Orlando defence, as it was clearly an objective to neutralize Toronto's No. 1 option but Siakam's output also appeared to be a product of an inability to truly find a rhythm on the night.
As All-Star calibre players do, Siakam still found a way to make his presence felt, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds and also dishing out five assists on the night.
An encouraging aspect for the Raptors is that down six players and during an off night for their best player, they still found a way to earn a win over a team that made the playoffs just one season ago.
What's Next
The Raptors return to Toronto to host the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. They will play eight of their next 11 games at Scotiabank Arena, where they have yet to lose this season.
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